DESCRIPTION (adapted from the application): When the Clinical Nutrition Research Unit (CNRU) was first funded in 1979, the only core facility other than the Administrative/Clinical Core was the Analytical Core. The primary function of this core was to develop and validate vitamin-trace mineral assays for the CNRU investigators. With the continuation of the grant in 1984, the Analytical Core was expanded to include amino acid analyses as well as assays for several blood proteins, including retinol binding protein, transferrin, prealbumin, and albumin. In addition, during this period the laboratory developed more sensitive HPLC assays for vitamins, including assays for vitamins A and E, as well as for the vitamers of vitamins B2 and B6. New instrumentation was also added for quantitative amino acid determinations. In addition, because of an increased interest in research involving lipids and lipid peroxidation, we began the process of expanding the laboratory to include quantitative measurements of the lipid components of tissue, cells, and blood. New methods for studying lipid peroxidative injury were also added to the services provided by the core. A growing need for investigations involving amino acid metabolism prompted a stronger collaboration of the Core Laboratory with the Departments of Surgery, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Medicine, in particular the Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC). To accommodate all of the needs, the Analytical Core was reorganized once again, and Dr. Larry L. Swift, Department of Pathology, was appointed the Director. The core was subdivided into three areas of specialization: Amino Acid Section, The Lipids/Lipid Peroxidation Section, and the Vitamin/Trace Element Section, with each section directly independently.